62880 research outputs found
Sort by
NimbleD: enhancing self-supervised monocular depth estimation with pseudo-labels and large-scale video pre-training
No full textWe introduce NimbleD, an efficient self-supervised monocular depth estimation learning framework that incorporates supervision from pseudo-labels generated by a large vision model. This framework does not require camera intrinsics, enabling large-scale pre-training on publicly available videos. Our straightforward yet effective learning strategy significantly enhances the performance of fast and lightweight models without introducing any overhead, allowing them to achieve performance comparable to state-of-the-art self-supervised monocular depth estimation models. This advancement is particularly beneficial for virtual and augmented reality applications requiring low latency inference. The source code, model weights, and acknowledgments are available at https://github.com/xapaxca/nimbled
Making moral sense of the law on bias: public confidence in the rule of law
Get PDFAccording to the standard, textbook view, the law on bias is concerned with public perception. The public can only have confidence in the administration of justice, on this view, if there is no appearance of bias on the part of an official decision-maker. It is of secondary importance whether a decision-maker’s interest or conduct in fact caused unfairness to the complainant. My aim in this article is invert this orthodoxy (and with it, the celebrated ruling of Lord Hewart in McCarthy that it seeks to resurrect). Drawing on the ‘interpretive’ legal theory of Ronald Dworkin, I contend that judicial decisions on bias do not plausibly give effect to public perception; and I say that public perception is, in any case, a poor moral basis for public confidence. This area of law makes better empirical and moral sense when understood in terms of judicial assessments of actual unfairness.
The article is in four parts. I begin with an elaboration of the orthodox understanding of the law of bias. I then consider two illustrative cases which cast doubt on that understanding, in that judges appear to disagree about the correct legal test. I then briefly examine contrasting understandings of these disagreements through the lens of a positivist and interpretive (anti-positivist) theory of law, settling on the latter. That takes me to the central preoccupation of the article: an interpretive defence of an actual unfairness conception of bias. My core argument is that public confidence is best secured if courts assess bias complaints consistently in light of established principles of justice and fairness. It is best secured, that is, by the rule of law
Reframing leadership through imperfection: a golden repair leadership model for inclusive and authentic leadership in the Global South
No full textThis paper introduces the Golden Repair Leadership Model (GRLM), a transformative framework grounded in the philosophies of Wabi Sabi, Kintsugi, and Ubuntu to reimagine leadership in the Global South. Challenging dominant Western ideals of perfectionism, individualism, and control, the model foregrounds imperfection, relationality, and spiritual inclusion as core tenets of authentic leadership. The GRLM unfolds through four developmental phases: Shattering, Sorting the Pieces, Golden Mending, and Display & Presence. These stages represent a journey from fragmentation toward embodied wholeness, wherein personal wounds and systemic marginalization are reframed as sources of ethical strength and communal repair. Drawing on narrative inquiry, emotional maturity, and decolonial sensibilities, the model positions leadership as an act of soul-work rather than performance. By affirming personal challenges and visible scars as testimonies of resilience and integrating spiritual epistemologies long excluded from organizational discourse, the GRLM offers a culturally resonant and psychologically robust alternative to conventional leadership paradigms. The framework calls for leaders to engage in visible vulnerability, relational authenticity, and strategic discernment – thereby fostering inclusive and humane organizational spaces. This paper contributes a critical and aesthetic reorientation of leadership, particularly suited to postcolonial contexts seeking epistemic justice and holistic transformation
Going green with AI-powered virtual influencers: the role of social cues, source credibility and environmental identity
No full textThis study examines how AI-powered virtual influencers (VIs) encouraging green behavior among social media users. Drawing on the Computers-Are-Social-Actors (CASA) paradigm and integrating Source Attractiveness and Source Credibility models, this study proposes a framework that offers comprehensive insights into the psychological mechanisms through which virtual influencers (VIs) impact their followers’ pro-environmental intentions. An online survey collected 603 valid responses from users who had interacted with sustainability content shared by VIs. Social cues (anthropomorphism, warmth, and competence) and source credibility (attractiveness, homophily, authenticity, and expertise) positively influenced social presence and trust, which in turn shaped pro-environmental intentions. Environmental self-identity strengthens the relationship between social presence and pro-environmental intention but attenuates the effect of credibility on these intentions. These findings advance understanding of VIs’ role in sustainable behavior and offer actionable insights for designing VI-driven campaigns to foster greener consumer practices
Corpus of Latin texts on papyrus, volumes 1-6
No full textCLTP is a comprehensive, up-to-date, and unique reference tool in six volumes, gathering nearly 1,500 Latin texts on papyrus
Permanent revenue in an energy‐exporting economy: a new test for fiscal equilibrium
Get PDFFiscal disequilibrium arises when permanent expenditures (PEXP) exceed permanent revenue (PREV), a frequent risk in energy-exporting economies reliant on volatile windfall revenues. However, existing research lacks a clear measure of these concepts and an empirical test for fiscal equilibrium. We address these gaps by developing a novel measure of PREV—combining non-energy revenue with trend energy revenue—and integrating it into a cointegration-based test for fiscal equilibrium. Applying this framework to Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), a small, open, energy-exporting economy, we establish its effectiveness and demonstrate its broader applicability to similar economies. The results confirm weak-form fiscal equilibrium, with an adjustment parameter below one, and remain robust across specifications and structural breaks. We further investigate asymmetries in the permanent budgetary components using a non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) analysis, which confirms asymmetry in both the short and long-run. Specifically, while a positive long-run relationship exists between PREV and PEXP, short-run responses vary due to pre-defined budgetary allocations and time lags. To progress toward strong-form fiscal equilibrium, we recommend gradually decoupling PEXP from energy revenues, strengthening institutional frameworks, and reallocating resources toward economic diversification. We also propose an energy revenue deviation rule to guide fiscal adjustments and mitigate budgetary imbalances
The maritime depths of Ex Aequo et Bono: towards an equitable transcendence of the terracentric juridical reproduction of the Falklands/Malvinas Dispute
No full textDiffering from most territorial contests, the Falklands/Malvinas dispute is entangled in a clash of ideologies embedded in maritime and legal imaginations. From the standpoint of international law, there is no definitive answer, as conventional legal frameworks – grounded in terrestrial notions of sovereignty – find themselves
ill-equipped to resolve the maritime complexities of this dispute. The rival territorial integrity and self-determination arguments respectively lodged by Argentina and the UK reveals the struggle between two nations seeking to impose their own international legal interpretation. Against these conflicting claims, this article explores the
potential application of the equitable principle of ex aequo et bono as a means of transcending entrenched geopolitical binaries. By focusing on the broader implications of the law of the sea, and its emphasis on the interrelation of maritime and terrestrial space, this article reimagines sovereignty in relation to the Falklands/Malvinas not as
a fixed territorial possession, but as a dynamic relational process. The use of equity, as opposed to rigid legal entitlements, provides space to reframe the dispute, allowing both Argentina and the UK to move beyond territorial impasses. In doing so, it not merely addresses legal rights, but additionally considers broader geographical, ecological, and human dimensions, fostering a cooperative framework through the principles of equity to transcend entrenched geopolitical divides and prioritise collective stewardship of the region’s ecological and resource-based future
King Arthur's Round Table, Eamont Bridge, Cumbria: the excavation of an excavation
Get PDFIn 1937 the philosopher Robin Collingwood excavated a henge monument in Cumbria and identified the postholes of a series of timber buildings, which he compared with those at other sites. These structures at Eamont Bridge were replaced by a stone circle. He planned to continue the work for a second season, but was prevented by illness. His project was completed by the famous German scholar Gerhard Bersu, who concluded that many of the features identified two years earlier were of geological origin; others were rootholes and animal burrows. Their projects have played a part in the history of fieldwork, but in recent years influential researchers have tried to rehabilitate Collingwood’s reputation as an excavator. Their views were encouraged by his pivotal role in studies of the northern frontier of Roman Britain. In 2023 parts of the monument at King Arthur’s Round Table were re-excavated with the aim of settling the dispute. The new work supported Bersu’s interpretation, but recognised that Collingwood’s approach was not as misguided as his critics had supposed – it was directly based on his agenda for historical research. The real problem is that he had been working without sufficient experience on a difficult subsoil. This article considers the methods used by both researchers at King Arthur’s Round Table and compares their distinctive approaches to field archaeology